First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 175.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 41,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 26,539 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned approximately 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $13,650,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
Shares of WST opened at $214.56 on Monday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $217.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $283.74. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $372.79. The firm has a market cap of $15.51 billion, a PE ratio of 32.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The company had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 13.19%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp decreased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WST
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
Free Report)
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products.
Read More
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.
Before you consider West Pharmaceutical Services, you'll want to hear this.
MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and West Pharmaceutical Services wasn't on the list.
While West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.
View The Five Stocks Here
Wondering where to start (or end) with AI stocks? These 10 simple stocks can help investors build long-term wealth as artificial intelligence continues to grow into the future.
Get This Free Report
Like this article? Share it with a colleague.
Link copied to clipboard.
